Are You At Risk Of A Diet Disaster?

Seemingly minor food decisions – like where, when and how fast you eat – can be the culprits behind belly-blubber mayhem. Here's the diet disasters to look out for, and tackle before they sabotage your efforts.

1. THE TELEVISION EFFECT

Eat just two meals a week in front of the TV and you may pack on five kilograms in a year. The reason: the tube’s presence can bulk up your kilojoule intake by up to a thousand each time.

Pizza +34%

Listening to music: 2880kJ

In front of the TV: 3856kJ

Source: Physiology & Behaviour

2. THE COMPANION INFLUENCE

When you snack with a buddy, you’re likely to consume more biscuits or crackers than you would if you ate with a romantic partner.

Relationship effect on snacking +59%

With a partner: 44g

With a male friend: 70g

Source: Appetite

3. THE AUTOPILOT TRANCE

By being more aware of the number of food and drink decisions you make every day, you can become more vigilant about your food choices.

Daily food and drink decisions 16x

Number guessed: 14 decisions

Actual number: 227 decisions

Source: Environment and Behaviour

4. THE SPEED TRAP

Slow down! If you pound dinner quickly (in nine minutes, say), you'll eat more than guys who are dining at a more relaxed pace (22 minutes).

Timing effect on kilojoule consumption

Slow eating: 3220kJ

Fast fill-up: 3572kJ

Source: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

5. THE SUPERSIZE SABOTEUR

When you eat out of a larger container, you're likely to consume more, even if the actual amount of food is the same in both containers.